A little while ago I was kindly sent a selection of the famous Dr Bronners liquid soaps to try.
The company really appealled to me as not only are they a 5th generation family run business, they are America's number 1 natural organic soap and they are officially certified as Organic which with sensitive skin like mine, the less chemicals I put on my skin the better.
Dr Bronner’s takes its organic credentials very seriously unlike many “natural” body care companies who masquerade their synthetically derived ingredients by using floral water as the main natural ingredient, while the functional ingredients are petrochemical derived and thus non-sustainable. The 100% Pure Castile Soap recipe used in Dr. Bronner’s soap is a simple, ecological, vegetable based formulation, named after the Castile region of Spain where olive oil soaps where invented long ago. The high foaming lather of the soap is from its high coconut oil content, which makes a more luxurious and rich lather compared to any detergent formulation commonly found even in “natural stores.” Dr. Bronner’s superfat their soaps with organic hemp and jojoba oils for a milder, smoother lather and use natural plant-derived vitamin E and citric acid to protect freshness. Apart from flavouring organic essential oils such peppermint, the base soap ingredients are Water, Saponified Organic Coconut*, Organic Palm* and Organic Olive* Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils**, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.
Now, I always go on about being sensitive to smells and products so it made me sad that the scent of the rose & citrus soap irritated my allergies. I was able to use the Peppermint scent as long as I was sparing and didn’t use it anywhere near my face. I did try all 3 scents on my face as a face wash and while their cleansing properties were fab, the products just did not suit me. The thing I was really excited about was the lack of synthetic foaming agents which are the sole reason for skin drying out after use with soap!
One of the main claims of the Dr Bronner brand is that there are 18-in-1 uses. The blurb from the brand offers the following 18 uses :
Shave
Shampoo
Dental
Soap bath
Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
Dilute for ideal Body Rub
Foot Bath
Douche
Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
Pets
Silk, wool, washing clothes and dishes
Body tingles head to toe - keeps cool!
3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray!
Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!
I gave the soaps to my Mam and Dad, who being a keen gardener and working in engineering, both get pretty dirty hands! I asked them to try out the soap in a few different ways and see how they got on with it. They came up with a couple of interesting uses!
They were absolutely amazed with the cleaning power of this little gem. A tiny amount goes a LONG way and it cuts through dirt, grime and grease effortlessly. Dad likened it to using washing up liquid on dirty hands, but without the drying effects - That has to be good right? In the couple of months that they have had both bottles, the amount that have actually used is tiny, considering they wash their hands with it every day, and sometimes even more on weekends.
Mam has used the rose soap as shampoo and the results were fab, even I could see that! Her hair felt like it was cleaner than it had been before, as if all styling residue had been removed. Her naturally brown hair no longer had a dull tinge to it. She was disappointed that the scent didn't linger in the hair like more chemically filled products do, but that's a small price to pay for a more natural wash right? She said as a trial, she was able to go longer until her next wash after using the Dr Bronners
Mr Tramp & my Dad even tested it out, diluted to clean the side of my parents caravan and again, another effortless use for this little bottle of liquid gold!
I have kept the peppermint bottle myself and have let Mr Tramp loose on it when he has been out working on the cars and he too agreed it cut through 'hard to shift' dirt with ease. Sometimes 2 washes were needed to completely clear the hands but no scrubbing was required which is a bonus for delicate little paws! I can cope with the scent of the peppermint soap, as long as I don't get it too near to my face.
The thing that amazed me was actually the fabric cleaning properties! I trialled the peppermint as an on the spot clothes cleaner, with the idea of taking it on holiday with me as a multi purpose product. Minimises packing, and will double up for more than 1 thing. From my previous post HERE on holiday toiletries, you'll know how keen I am to always minimise packing and the amount of products required!
I used 1 microfibre cloth, with my Elemis face wash to remove all traces of my make up (eyes lips and skin) and then tried to use my regular hand soap to clean the cloth (NATURAL COLLECTION PEACH). The results were a smeary mess! The fabric felt slimey with product even after a good rinse. The next day, I tried the Dr Bronners as a clothes wash and the results were much much better. The cloth wasn't perfectly clean, far from it, but it felt a lot better and the make up residue had greatly reduced in density! If it can do that to notoriously hard to shift foundation stains, a few light daily wear stains on shirts wouldn't be a problem for this liquid soap.
I definitely think I will take this on holiday with me, even if its just to refresh our chlorinated swimsuits every night after being at the pool!
My favourite use for the peppermint Dr Bronners has actually been during DIY pedicures. Stick it in your foot bowl and the warmed, diluted scent is very very relaxing and it also cleans your tootsies in a non agreesive, natural way. Hmm I can just picture it now, I think I need some pedicure pampering tonight actually!
The small bottles would actually be FAB to keep in your handbag for shopping trips / travel because you know that not all toilets have soap in them! This only takes the tiniest amount to give a good, generous non drying lather. I would rather use this soap than one of those hand sanitizers, given the choice, as both bottles are roughly the same size. I know it would comfortably cut through sticky lolly finger mess, or the slick grease of sandy suntan lotion covered mitts or in my usual case, the black, red, pink and orange hands of a trip to a make up counter swatching anything bright and bold! For £1.69 it's just such a bargain!
I must add, the issue with the fragrances is purely down to my own skin and my own allergies. It is not a reflection on the product, but the 3 people who have used these products have commented on the nice pleasant smell that doesn't feel overly synthesised. It smells natural. I have to agree. The smell does linger nicely on your skin after you have washed, without drying your skin.
For all this sounds like a mixed message, I can whole heartedly recommend this little diamond of a soap. It is very reasonably priced and considering it does indeed live up to it's claims of being suitable for many uses, I think keeping a bottle of this in your bathroom cabinet or travel washbag is a must. I know I will 110% be decanting some of the peppermint soap in to a small travel bottle ready for my holidays to keep in my day bag for those toilet trips that are without soap!
You can buy the Dr Bronners line of liquid soaps from the following places :
Liberty
Selected Waitrose's
The 8fl oz size is £4.99, the brilliant travel size is £1.69 and the bar retails at £3.50 < With prices like those, you can't not afford to try it!
